Parrtjima – A Festival in Light

Parrtjima Festival responds to the urgent need to preserve, honour, and amplify First Nations culture through contemporary expression. In collaboration with the Parrtjima Festival Reference Group and Curator Rhoda Roberts AO, Parrtjima reimagines Aboriginal art and storytelling through light, sound, and technology. The challenge lay in authentically translating ancient cultural narratives into modern mediums while remaining respectful to Country and community. Designed to support Alice Springs’ local economy and increase Aboriginal representation, Parrtjima embodies NTMEC’s vision to uplift the Territory through culturally rich events. Further logistical and environmental challenges lay in delivering the festival in a remote National Park.

To meet the challenge of translating Aboriginal storytelling into contemporary forms, the 2025 Parrtjima Festival—curated by Rhoda Roberts AO under the theme 'Timelessness'—united 120 Aboriginal artists and performers. Guided by the Parrtjima Festival Reference Group, the design process centred on deep community consultation to ensure cultural integrity. Adaptive design and local knowledge ensured site planning and installations respected local wildlife, cultural protocols, and withstood desert conditions. A landmark moment was The Gateway—a large-scale community art project involving Town Camps and Aboriginal Art Centres. Artists painted poles with traditional markings, expressing deep connections to homelands, skin groups, and ancestral Country.

Parrtjima 2025 drew over 23,500 attendances to Alice Springs Desert Park, boosting local tourism, businesses, and cultural pride. As the only authentic, immersive Aboriginal light festival of its kind, it provided a powerful platform for First Nations artist representation, with every element—from large-scale installations to talks and workshops—celebrating the world’s oldest living culture. The emotional impact was profound; artists were moved to tears seeing their works illuminating Country. As Curator Rhoda Roberts AO noted, it was a reminder of how deeply art, culture, and place are connected—and what a privilege it is to share that truth with the world.

Parrtjima is delivered by Northern Territory Major Events Company, in partnership with events specialists ‘We Are Gather’ and Creative Directors ‘Grumpy Sailor Creative’. From concept to execution, Grumpy Sailor Creative collaborated with First Nations artists to translate curator Rhoda Roberts AO's vision into a cohesive, immersive festival through experience master planning, sculptural light installation designs, and spatial storytelling. ‘Grounded’ is an immersive, large-scale projection that transforms the red earth under your feet into a dynamic living canvas. A festival favourite every year, it spreads a magical carpet across the desert floor, inviting visitors to play, connect, and immerse themselves in ancient stories. As light and movement animate the sand, audiences witness how tradition evolves, blending Indigenous knowledge with modern technology. ‘Sand Painting’ offers visitors the unique opportunity to sit down with artists and explore the significance of markings in sand. From animal footprints and skin groups to clan symbols and ceremonial art, glowing lightboxes illuminate the cultural practices and stories behind these markings – offering a deep, hands-on connection to the rich traditions that continue to influence contemporary Aboriginal art. Incredibly well received as both intercultural transfer and participatory intergenerational experience, ‘Sand Painting’ will remain a permanent fixture in future years.